Hope beyond hope
by Dhot
Summary: What would happen if Angel, Buffy and the Charmed ones met? Read to find out... (I suck at summaries.. )
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Characters from Angel, Buffy the vampire slayer or Charmed (although I wish I did).  
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**BuffyAngelCharmed Crossover  
Title: Hope beyond hope**  
  
Chapter 1  
  
"Calling forth all magical beings and the powers that be, give me the strength to unite the Champion, the slayer and the Charmed Circle so that the world may be saved from the coming apocalypse," a lone individual pleaded. He closed his eyes and chanted some verses from a scroll he held. Almost immediately, a clap of thunder was heard and blue light emitted from the man. He went down on his knees and said, "Thank you for hearing my plea. It shall be decreed that the world's most powerful beings will meet in three days in the city of the Charmed." With that, he stood up and the blue light disappeared. He waved his hands over himself as if cloaking and said, "It is done. There is now a chance that the apocalypse will be waived." A hooded man came out from the shadows. He entered the man's invisible cloak and said, "They were never meant to meet but it had to be done. The apocalypse is too much for the Champion to handle alone. Humans now have a chance to survive." He removed the hood which obscured his face and said, "A fighting chance." He was an elder. He was Leo.

**The Manor**  
  
"Paige!! Get your butt down here right now!" Piper screamed. Paige orbed into the kitchen and said, "What's all the shouting for?" "Would you just look at this mess?" Piper questioned. "Oh, I was meaning to clean that up but was caught up in something else," Paige said, looking at the phone guiltily. She talked into the receiver saying, "Richard, I'll call you back later. I need to clean something up." She hung up and said, "Piper, don't flare up. You know, I always clean my own mess... sooner or later." Piper looked apologetic and replied, "I'm sorry, honey. I guess it's the hormones." She looked down at her swollen tummy as if to punctuate her point. "Aww... I understand what you must be going through, Piper. Leo has a right to know about Chris, you know," Paige said. Piper sighed and pulled out a chair. "I know that, and I'm sure he will be thrilled to find out that he has another son but I can't do this to him. Leaving one child behind must have been heart wrenching, let alone another. He will find out when the time comes," Piper said dejectedly. "And when exactly will that be, Piper," Phoebe interjected from behind. "I can feel what you are going through and it's not healthy, especially for baby Chris. Your bottled emotions are going to give you a nervous breakdown one day," she added. Piper sighed for what must be the hundredth time that day and replied, "I'm more worried about Chris right now. You know, as to why he's avoiding me? It has been bothering me every night as to what kind of a mother I must have been to Chris for him to hate me so much." "Aww honey, he doesn't hate you. You are his mother," Paige sympathized. "Uh huh... and that's why he hasn't talked to me properly for the past few months," Piper pursued. "No, he doesn't hate you. I can feel the love he has for you, Piper. It must be something else. Maybe..." Phoebe was interrupted before she could go on by a crash in the attic. Paige orbed her sisters up and saw Chris cornered by two warlocks. "Nothing can save you now, traitor," one of them said. "Hmm.. ya think?" Chris replied and with a flick of his fingers, the two warlocks burned and turned to ashes. "What happened, Chris?" Phoebe asked, rushing to his side. "I figured that it must have been the warlocks who turned Wyatt so I was undercover these few months but they found out that I was not one of them," he replied. "And that thing you did with your fingers? I have never seen that before," Paige asked suspiciously. "Oh that... It's a modified version of mum's blowing up power. I just flick my finger and the demon burns..." Chris stopped in mid-sentence as he realized that he just called Piper, mum. "Uh... I gotta go," he said and orbed out. "Well, modified power or not, I now know one thing, Piper. He doesn't hate you. He couldn't if he called you mum," Paige consoled. Piper could only look on with hope.  
  
**Los Angeles**  
  
"It is my destiny, Dad. I know that now. These powers that I have must be there for a reason," a teenage boy said to his father. "I think, Connor, that you should do what you think is best," his father replied. Connor thanked his not-so-biological-adoptive father and hugged him. "Thanks Dad, you don't what this means to me," Connor thanked. 'And what it might really mean to my real Dad,' he thought to himself. "There's nothing I can give you that will be of any help to you but I will tell you this, if you ever feel like it's too much, you can always come home," his adoptive father said. Connor muttered a thank you and proceeded to pack his bags. When he reached his room, he picked up the phone and dialed some numbers. Within minutes, he said, "Hello, Angel please."  
  
**Sunnydale**  
  
"But Buffy, I don't see why we have to go to San Francisco!" Dawn argued. "Dawn, I don't want you to spend the rest of your teenage life in a hellmouth, fighting demons and vampires," Buffy explained. "I like it here. I like to fight demons and vampires," Dawn argued. "Allright, no more talk. We leave tomorrow and that's final. Willow, you coming?" Buffy asked. "Uh... well, since it is the school break, I wouldn't mind going for a little holiday," Willow replied, nervously looking at Dawn. "Willow! Some help here, please?" Dawn pleaded. "Ok then, it's settled. Pack your bags tonight. We leave tomorrow morning," Buffy ordered. "But what about Xander, Buff?" Willow asked. "He can't get away from work. He promised to visit us whenever he can," Buffy replied. Dawn rolled her eyes and stalked up the stairs to her room. "Do you think this is the right thing to do?" Willow asked, once Dawn's door was closed. "You know, I dreamt about Mom yesterday, of the happier times before I became the slayer. I just want our lives to become the way it used to be," Buffy said softly. Willow put one arm around her best friend and said, "Well, one thing's for sure. Wherever Buffy goes, I go. Maybe I'll transfer myself to San Francisco's college," Willow consoled. Buffy smiled and got lost in thought. She hoped for nothing more than a normal life for her sister.  
  
**L.A  
**  
Connor was seated in Angel's office. He had fixed an appointment under the name of Peter Ackles. Angel walked in the office, his eyes on an open file that he held in his hands and said, "Sorry for the delay Mr. Ackles. What can I do for... Connor?" Angel said, as he realized that he was looking at Connor. "Hey... I needed to talk to you," Connor said. "Uh... well... you could have just looked for me. I would have made time for you," Angel replied, concern creeping into his voice. "Nah... I didn't want to disturb you," Connor replied nonchalantly. Angel sat down and said, "Ok, what do you want to talk about?" Connor took some time to collect his thoughts and continued, "I know you are my Dad." With that, Angel raised one eyebrow. "I have all my memories of the past, of my time in Quor-toth and... of the time I met you," he said. Angel kept quiet as he allowed Connor to speak. "I want to help you fight the good fight. I want to become a Champion, like you, but I need you to help me to achieve that," Connor concluded. "Well, I don't have a problem with that, Connor, but you have to think about your family," Angel tried to change Connor's mind. "They know and support my decision and I hope the same from you... Dad," Connor persisted. After a long pause, Angel finally said, "We are headed to San Francisco. Our sources confirm that there has been an unusual build-up of demons there. We all need someone as strong as you are to help us." Connor smiled and walked out of the office. 'I hope he knows what he is doing...' Angel thought to himself. He was happy though, that he would be able to fight alongside his son. He could only feel hope within his heart, hope that his son would one day be able to fully accept him.


	2. Chapter 2: A time of reconciliation

_Thanks for the great reviews, guys... And as for the Angel/Buffy thing, I kind of feel that Angel should be alone, you know.. at least until and if he becomes mortal again... But I'll try to incorporate scenes about their meeting and stuff like that... Thanks once again!!_  
  
**Chapter 2**  
  
Piper and Paige were sitting in the living room, discussing about nutritious baby food for the little one when Chris orbed in and said, "This just in, guys. There's been an unusually high migration of demons into the city. Something's up. We need to find them. This could just be the event which turns Wyatt." Paige stood up and took charge, "Okay, we'll call Phoebe and start scrying for demon activities." Before Chris left the living room, he turned to Piper and said, "Mom.. I mean.. Piper, Maybe you would want to sit this one out. I don't want you to come to any harm." Piper smiled and Chris orbed out.  
  
"Ok... scrying's not helping at all!" Phoebe exclaimed in exasperation. As she said that, the scryer fixated itself on one point of the map. "I think we just hit jackpot," Paige muttered. "Ok, quick Paige. Orb us there," Piper exclaimed. "Piper, you are not coming. Remember what Chris said? He want you to sit this one out," Paige scolded. "Since when does a mother have to listen to her son?" Piper asked, pointedly. Paige crossed her arms in defiance. "Fine! I'll just sit at home and let you guys have all the fun," Piper replied, pouting like a spoilt child. "Good!" Paige said before orbing Phoebe out. "Well, so much for being pregnant when I can't even get what I want!" Piper said, blaming the unfairness of it all, but she placed her right hand over her tummy and realized that she was better off at home where it was safe for baby Chris. Piper had always wanted a magic-free world and being pregnant pretty much fulfilled that but she also wished she could be more involved when her sister's were kicking demons' butts. She realized that magic will always be a part of her life, whether she wanted it or not.  
  
Angel was sitting in his hotel room, provided by Wolfram & Hart, when his cell phone rang. "Hello," he answered. "We'll be right there," he said before rushing out of the room. He cornered Gunn, Fred, Wes, Lorne, Spike and Connor in the adjoining room and said, "I know where the demons are congregated. We need to go now. I'll take the sewers and you guys can take the car." Spike raised his eyebrow and said, "Well, I'll just take the car too and burn to bloody ashes then!" Angel noted his sarcasm and said, "Okay, so Spike and me will take the sewers and the rest of you take the car. Any other objections?" Angel directed his comment to Spike. When no one objected, Angel stated, "Let's get to work."  
  
Buffy, Dawn and Willow had arrived in California well over two days ago. Things were going real fine. She managed to get a job, Dawn enrolled into high school and Willow's transfer was accepted. They even managed to rent a two-storey house. Things were going great at least until two demons crashed into their living room. "We're here for the witch!" one of them snarled. "You have to get through me first," Buffy challenged. "Slayer! Here? Kill her!" the demon ordered. Buffy grabbed her sword and cut off the head of the advancing demon. Green blood oozed down the neck of the fallen demon. The second demon roared in anger and ran towards Buffy, ready to tear her apart with his bare hands. Buffy managed to cart-wheel away from the demon. She faced his back and said, "How would you like die first, demon?!" The demon faced her and Buffy managed to cut off his hands. "I'll get you for this, Slayer! My friends at the Bar will kill you," the demon said before running out of the house. "Well, now I've seen everything!" Willow exclaimed. "A demon running about in day-light?" she questioned rhetorically. "There's only one demon bar in California," Dawn interrupted. "And how would you know that?!" Buffy scolded. "Hey, I prefer to play safe, ok. You know, in case any demon comes for the Slayer!... or the witch," Dawn argued, winking at Willow. "Ok fine, where is it? Let's just get this over and done with," Buffy sighed. Dawn smiled and said, "Finally!"  
  
Paige orbed Phoebe into the bar. A second later, Chris orbed in with them. "What are you doing here?" Paige asked. "I couldn't leave my beloved aunts to fight off demons, could I? Especially now since you don't have the power of three," Chris said, eliciting a bout of 'awws' from Phoebe. "Well, I don't see anyone here. It's so empty. Where's the alcohol, tables and chairs?" Paige asked. It was true. The bar was indeed empty. It was like a big, bare hallway. They heard a crash, and looked up just in time to see a group of people enter through a door they had smashed. Well, not people exactly. There was that green demon with them. Phoebe sensed a vampire and shouted, "Vampire!" Paige reacted quickly and saw a stake in the hands of a tall, British-looking guy. "Stake," she called and it orbed into her hands. Chris flicked it towards the direction of the tall, dark-haired vampire. It hit him in the shoulder and the vampire yelled out in pain. "There are innocents among them. Get the green demon!" Phoebe shouted. Chris waved his right hand and the green demon flew back. Immediately, the humans formed a wall between them and the beasts. "What are you doing? Get out of here. It's dangerous!" Paige tried to explain to them. "They're our friends! They're not demons!" a tall, black guy shouted in response. "Wait! Listen to me. My name's Angel and sure, I'm a vampire but I have a soul," Angel shouted in desperation. A young boy with brown hair stood in front of the vampire and said, "We don't have time for this! We need to get rid of the demons." Paige stopped advancing at that point and said, "You're here for the demons too?" "Yes, this is my Dad and he's not evil!" the boy exclaimed. Suddenly, three young women entered the bar from the broken door and a blonde woman exclaimed, "What's going on here?" She stopped when her eyes fell on the vampire. The vampire looked at her in recognition before uttering, "Buffy?"  
  
_Ok, I know. Cliff-hanger!! I hate them too.. but I just can't go on! Writer's block. Will update tomorrow, I promise!_


	3. Chapter 3: Awareness

_Sorry I took soooooooo long! But well.. at least it's longer this time.. :D _

Chapter 3

  
  
Awareness  
  
"Buffy?" Angel uttered in disbelief. He thought that it would just be a simple day; kill the demons and get back to L.A. It became more than that. When they burst through the door, they had expected to see demons, ready with their weapons. When the woman called for the stake, Angel knew that she was a witch. He deduced that the other two with her were witches as well. He was quite surprised when the short-haired woman knew he was a vampire. 'She must be some sort of empath', he thought but when that stake missed his heart by mere inches, he knew he had to get rid of them. He vaguely heard his son defend him. Angel gritted his teeth and pulled out the stake from his shoulder. He heard himself speak something. It could have been incoherent, he didn't know. His vision was going out of focus and he thought he was going to faint but then he saw her, the one true love of his life and suddenly his vision cleared up and he stared into Buffy's eyes.  
  
When Buffy saw Angel, all the pain came flooding back into her being. The pain she felt when he turned into Angellus, the pain when she had to kill him and the pain she had to endure when she learnt that he was alive. 'I was supposed to be away from all this!' her mind whined. She tried to keep her composure and said, "Where are the demons?" Wesley stood in front of her and explained all that had been going on. She realized that there were three other people in the hallway. She knew about Fred and Gunn from Willow but there was this boy standing in front of Angel who looked vaguely familiar but yet she knew that she had never met him before. She was about to speak when one of the women interrupted her.  
  
"Well since we are all here to kill demons and since we don't see any, I suggest we sit somewhere and have a talk about what's going on," Paige said. She wanted this discussed back in the manor where they could use the Power of Three if needed. "And I know just the place," she said, winking at Chris. Chris nodded and the hallway was filled with blue and white swirls of light.  
  
When the whole group rematerialized in the manor, Angel nodded with understanding and stated, "Whitelighters." Gunn managed to croak a feeble 'Whoah!' while the rest were just very confused. Paige nodded at Angel and then said, "Actually, half-whitelighter." She looked at the rest of the group and then said, "Alright people, listen up. We are in my house now so we follow my rules ok," Spike took a step forward and said, "Oh yeah, and what if we don't?" Chris raised his hand and Spike flew backwards, missing the grandfather clock by a few centimeters. Spike gasped for breath and said, "Ok, point taken." Buffy was the next to speak, "I don't know what's going on but if I don't get some answers soon, I'm going to think that he's the demon and I'm going to kick his butt!" She pointed to Lorne and he opened his mouth in surprise and mock hurt. Piper entered with Phoebe at that moment. Obviously, it looked as if Phoebe had told Piper what had just occurred. She directed everyone into the living room and proceeded to tell everyone how they came to know about the demons.  
  
When everyone had exchanged their version of the demon-hunting stint, a momentary understanding settled in the manor. "Ok, so you're the vampire with the soul. Cursed by gypsies over 200 years ago and have been helping innocents ever since. Formerly known as Angellus,' Phoebe read from the Book of Shadows. "You mean he's actually in there?" Spike said, pointing disbelievingly at the Book. "You're in here too. William the Bloody, sired by Angellus. Nothing more than a sidekick," Phoebe read. "What?! Sidekick? I'll show em' who's the bloody sidekick!" Spike roared, shaking his fist at the Gods above. Angel shrugged and Phoebe turned to Buffy. "And you are?" she asked. "The slayer. Vampire slayer," Buffy replied, looking at Angel and Spike. Phoebe got up from the chair and stood with her sisters saying, "and we are the Charmed ones. We are witches.. well just the two of us anyway, Paige is half-whitelighter." Buffy turned to Connor and asked, "What about you?" Connor looked trapped and managed to say, "Uh... I'm Connor." Everyone waited for more and when it looked like it wasn't coming, Angel carried on, "He's my son." Buffy had a questioning look in her eyes but she left it at that. "Wait, vampires can't have children!" Chris interjected. "Long story," Angel replied, not bothering to explain. "And the rest of them are my gang. We work in a law firm by day and kill demons by night. Ok so sometimes, we kill them during the day too," he continued. Paige looked at Dawn and she started, "I'm Dawn, the slayer's sister. Well, maybe not exactly. I'm a key to the different dimensions." She didn't want to be left behind in this place where everyone seemed to be something great. "I'm Willow. I'm a witch too. Not as powerful as the Power of Three though," Willow gushed. Buffy looked at Willow and thought, 'Yeah right, and I'm the Queen of the Underworld.' "But what I really want to know is who's this green fella?" Buffy asked, pointing at Lorne. "Ahem... People call me Lorne. Originally from Pylea, but escaped from a portal. I can read people's destinies when I hear them sing," Lorne said, showing them his winning smile. When no one bothered, he muttered, "I'm severely unappreciated,' and shook his head.  
  
"Wow, so you are like the product of two vampires! Cool!" Dawn gushed. Buffy strained her ears to hear every word and finally understood. Now wonder the boy looked familiar. He looked so much like Darla. Secretly, she seethed and blamed Angel for his betrayal, but then she had betrayed him too by sleeping with Spike. She looked at Spike and winced. She had no idea that he would go through everything he did just to get a soul. She really appreciated him but knew that no one could ever replace Angel in her heart. She once thought that Riley had but then he got married and she had not seen him since. She stood beside the stairway in the manor and secretly wished that she could walk out of there. Everyone seemed engaged in conversations and she felt left out. She looked at Willow and saw her approaching this cute guy with brown hair. 'Great! My best friend deserted me for a guy,' she thought to herself and sighed. Piper approached her and said, "I didn't really introduce myself. I'm Piper," she said. "And I'm Buffy," Buffy replied. "Nice to meet you," Piper smiled. "You're with child?" Buffy asked Piper. "Piper nodded and Buffy muttered a 'congratulations'. Piper acknowledged her statement and said thanks. Buffy nodded and looked back at Angel. "You love him, don't you?" Piper asked Buffy. Buffy wrinkled her eyebrows in curiosity and asked, "How..." Piper smiled and replied, "I know how it feels to have loved and lost. I can recognize that look. It's the look I always give myself when I look in the mirror," Buffy could only nod her head in understanding. She had always been the leader but in this room full of special people, she felt left out.  
  
"Uh... I heard from one of the Charmed Ones that you are from the future?" Willow asked Chris. Chris looked at the woman in front of him and nodded. "So, I'm sure you must have known about this? About this chanced meeting?" she questioned. Chris shook his head. "I swear I heard nothing about this. There was no mention of this meeting," he defended. Willow gave him a curious look and said, "I wasn't questioning your truthfulness. Why are you so defensive?" Chris looked trapped and then sighed, "It's been something of a norm around here. I'm from the future. I keep so many secrets. The Charmed Ones never really trusted until they found out," Chris replied. "Found out what?" Willow pestered. "That I'm a Halliwell. You see, that woman over there, Piper, she's my mother and the child she's carrying is me," he replied, feeling curious as to why he was revealing everything to this complete stranger. Somehow, she managed to put his guard down, which was very unusual. Chris never interacted with strangers. "Oh, that's... tough. You know, watching yourself grow in front of your very eyes," Willow said, unaware of Chris' conflicting emotions. "Yeah, and I'm hurting my mom by avoiding her. It's not that I want to, it's just that something happens to her in the future and I'm afraid of being close to her again," he replied, surprised at himself. This was way too much information. He gave himself a mental punch and steadied himself but looking into this woman's eyes was keeping him from guarding his secrets. "My dad was never around much. Well, not for me anyway. He always had Elder stuff to do. My brother was involved in some event or other, and when he became evil, well.. let's just say, we hardly talked. My mom was great and she loved me as much as she loved my brother but then when she died, my world just collapsed, you know," Chris replied with emotion in his voice. Willow nodded in understanding and said, "Yeah, when Buffy died, I couldn't control myself. I couldn't stand my best friend being taken away from me. I even resorted to raising her from the dead." Chris smiled and then he asked, "Do you have a whiteligher?" "Oh no, I don't. I guess I wasn't meant to become a witch so I was never really assigned one. It was... unexpected," Willow replied.  
  
"So you're a key? To other dimensions?" Connor asked Dawn. Dawn nodded and said, "My life and memories were fabricated. It was created for me. Things that I remember happening in my childhood never really happened at all." Connor could understand, after all he had been through that, when his father fabricated a life for him. Sometimes, having two sets of memories was extremely confusing. Sometimes, he couldn't differentiate between reality and the illusion created for him. "Well, if only you existed in Quor-toth, I could have gotten out of there earlier," Connor said, with a smile. Dawn furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and Connor said, "Long story." Dawn left it at that. She didn't have any boyfriends. Guys never took her seriously and so she counted her blessings that she was chatting up with a cute guy. She decided that she liked him. Behind his confusing life, she could see a wonderful guy with many wonderful qualities.  
  
Spike looked around the room he was in and snorted. 'What a buncha losers,' he thought to himself. So what if they are witches or whitelighters, he really didn't want to be here, in the same room with Buffy. He looked at her and saw her staring at Angel, 'Well so much for the sacrifice I went through. She still has her eye on Peaches,' he thought. 'I'm not sitting around in this bloody room anymore. I'm going to get some bleedin' answers.' Spike stood up and coughed. When no one paid any attention, he rolled his eyes and coughed louder. Still no one even glanced at him. "Can't a vampire have some bleedin' attention around here?" he shouted. Everyone stopped talking and faced him. "Ok... so we have all exchanged pleasantries. Very nice. Now, back to the demons in question. Obviously, we haven't found them yet and I suggest we start doing so before they find us," he said. Angel interrupted and said, "Spike's right. We need someone to tell us what's going on." Piper stepped forward and shouted, "Leo! LEO!" Almost immediately, orbs of blue and white swirls appeared in front of Piper. "Ah... Piper, blessed be. You appear frustrated. A moment of meditation might calm you... down," Leo said as he noticed Piper's swelling tummy. "What..." he started when Piper interrupted him, "Not now. First tell us what's going on!" Piper said, pointing at every group in the room. Leo looked around and said, "I see you have all met. That's good." Piper was surprised. "You mean we were supposed to meet somehow?" she asked. "It was never written in destiny that you should meet but the apocalypse has changed all that," Leo answered. "It has already started," Angel stated. "Yes, it has," Leo said, looking straight at Angel. "Wyatt," Angel recognized. Piper looked confused but refused to interrupt. "It's been a long time, Angel," Leo said. "So it has. I see you're an Elder now, Wyatt. Wasn't it just a few decades ago when you were against them?" Angel questioned. Leo chanced a look at Piper's disapproving face and replied, "I was but that's another story. The slayer," he acknowledged. Buffy nodded and said, "How do we stop the apocalypse?" "You can't. It has to happen. You need to fight it," he revealed. "I believe you have found a house here. Go back and wait. We need to plan our defense," he said to Buffy. He looked at Willow and Chris and said, "Willow, a witch without a whitelighter is technically defenseless and has no way of contact with the Elders. Chris, Willow will be your charge. From this moment on, you have no other charges except for Willow and the Charmed Ones." Chris wanted to object at his ridiculous statement but stopped himself and gave a slight nod. "Connor, you are very special. You were brought to this world not only to kill Shah-jhan but to aid your father in battle. I have something to tell you but it' private so I will speak with you and Angel later," Leo added. Connor furrowed his brows in confusion and muttered an, "All right." Leo's eyes fell on Spike and he said, "William, you have showed us your resilience, loyalty and strength. You are not just a sidekick, we know that much now. Your place in this fight is as important as Connor's. We need you." Spike raised an eyebrow and exclaimed, "You're bloody right that you need me!"  
  
Leo left with Angel and Connor to speak with them in the kitchen. Dawn looked around and felt small. The Elder addressed everyone but her. Did that mean that she was useless? She wanted to cry but didn't want to show signs of weakness. She walked to her sister and said, "Let's go home."  
  
Buffy was impressed with the way Dawn had handled herself. She knew that Dawn was hurting about not having a duty to fulfill. When Dawn wanted to go home, she looked over at Willow. She was still talking to her new whitelighter. She decided to leave her first, to get her acquainted with her whitelighter. They headed towards the door and slipped out. "What is so important, Wyatt?" Angel asked. "I'd prefer it if you called me Leo. That has always been my name," Leo replied. Angel raised an eyebrow and Leo continued, "Anyway, the news I have might cheer you up. It's about Darla." With that, Connor looked directly at Leo's eyes and said, "What about my mother? Is she all right? Is she in trouble." Leo raised his hand in an effort to silence Connor. "She's fine. I just thought you should know that she's now a higher being. The Elders were impressed by her sacrifice. Not every vampire can stake herself to save her child. Now, I need to leave. I believe I have neglected somebody. Till we meet again, Angel," Leo said before orbing out. "I pray that day never comes again, Wyatt," Angel muttered.  
  
Dawn tried with all her might to maintain her stoic composure but it was hard to keep it all in so she allowed a tear to trickle down her cheek. She looked around her room and wished that she was back in her old one. Suddenly, blue orbs filled an empty space in the room. Dawn jumped up from bed and clenched her fists, ready to fight. Leo saw her fighting stance and raised a hand in peace. He noticed the trail the tear left on her cheek and said, "I know that you must be feeling very hurt and left out but let me tell you something. You have a very important place in this world." With that, Dawn brightened and she said, "What's my place? What do I do?" Leo noticed her enthusiasm and announced, "Being the key revokes many rights to your existence but it is not without it's advantages. You have the power to travel through dimensions. You just have to hone that skill and you need to keep practicing fighting." Dawn's eyes widened in disbelief as she said, "But who's going to teach me? Buffy will never have the time. She'll be involved in many things herself!" "There is one who comes to mind. One who has the patience and skills of a professional. One on whom you can rely on. Connor," Leo said. "Connor? But... but... I can't fight in front of a guy! That would be so embarrassing!" Dawn whined. Leo raised a hand and said, "You'll be in good hands, Dawn. I'll inform him to come over tomorrow to train. Learn well, Dawn." With that, he orbed out. "Connor?! I'm going to see Connor tomorrow? Hmm... maybe this trip was not such a bad idea after all," Dawn thought to herself, a cheeky smile plastered on her face.

_I knowI probably can't update for another week or so. School projects and all, but i promise to do so asap. Thanks for reading!! _


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 5: Stipulated Revelations

"Uh… Hi. I think I'm supposed to be here," Connor told Buffy when she opened the door. "Yeah, you're training Dawn, but you know I could probably do that. I'm not really that busy and…" Buffy was interrupted by Dawn. "Buffy! Don't you have to meet Wesley today? He called you and said he had a lead," she said breathlessly, in an effort to allow Connor to come in. Buffy looked at Dawn with irritation and said, "Oh yeah… Gee, Dawn… Thanks for reminding me. Connor, why don't you come in?" Buffy ushered him in mock kindness. Connor stepped in and Buffy quickly rushed up the stairs once he was seated. She knocked on Willow's door and when she opened it, Buffy told her, "Keep an eye on them. I don't want Darla's son to corrupt Dawn." Willow sighed and told her to come in her room. "Buffy, don't you think that you are taking this a bit too far? He is Angel's son too," Willow admonished. Buffy narrowed her eyes and Willow continued, "That's it, isn't it? He's Angel's son. You can't bear the fact that Angel slept with Darla. But what's done is done, Buffy. He can't turn his back on his son now that he's here." Buffy sighed and said, "I know I'm probably biased against him and it's probably because he's Angel's son but I can't forget the fact that he was conceived by Darla. He probably has more evil in his heart than anyone else because of that," Buffy ranted, "Besides, I don't care if Angel slept with half the world because we have nothing to do with each other!" Willow looked into Buffy's eyes. "That's right, Buff. You have nothing to do with Angel, but what about Spike?" Willow asked. "What about Spike?" Buffy repeated. "I know it's not possible that you wouldn't have felt anything when you saw him. You are thoroughly an emotional person, Buffy, even though you won't admit it. Spike endured physical pain for you, in an effort to get you to love him. Sure, that was sheer stupidity but you've got to hand it to him. He really does love you, Buff!" Willow persisted. "I don't know, Willow. It's all so confusing and I have to face them everyday. The both of them! I don't know how to react when I see them now," Buffy said, tears welling up in her eyes.

Just then, blue orbs filled the room and Chris materialized. When he spotted Buffy, he said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I had no idea you were here." Buffy waved away his apology and said, "I should probably get going too. Wes called just now. Apparently, I'm needed over." Willow smiled and said, "And Buffy, I wouldn't worry about Connor. I'm focusing on the thought that he's Angel's son. I know that he won't harm Dawn." Buffy smiled back and shut the door. Turning to Chris, she said, "What's the matter, Chris? You look worried." Chris shook his head. "I'm worried about you. I just found out that you used to deal with black magic," he scolded. Willow looked guilty and said softly, "That was in the past." Chris pulled up a chair and sat in front of her. "Practicing black magic has residual side-effects. As your whitelighter, I want you to know I hope that never happens again and as your… friend, I want to you know that if it does, I'll be there for you," he comforted. Willow looked into his eyes and muttered a heart-felt thank you. 'Damn, it's those eyes. They do me in every time!' Chris thought. As Chris stared back at her, Willow started to feel self-conscious. She had this insane urge to tuck back a wisp of loose hair. She barely knew Chris for a day and yet he was able to make her feel this way. After Tara… she thought that she could never feel for anyone again. She knew it was his expression that pulled her to him. His face seemed to have a fixation of pain etched permanently and she wanted to do her best to comfort him until he became happy again. It was insane, she knew but she couldn't stop herself from thinking about him. She broke the stare and commented on the weather. Chris replied her question politely and stood up. "I think I should go now. The Charmed Ones are calling for me," Chris said, with an apologetic smile. "Yeah, I'll see you around," Willow replied, still not able to bring herself to look at his charming face. With that, Chris orbed out and Willow released a sigh of relief.

When Buffy came down to the hallway, she found Connor and Dawn discussing the best fighting tactics and smiled. 'I don't have anything to worry about,' she thought to herself. She hollered a good-bye and left the house.

"The best line of defense against a single vamp attack would be a direct approach, but of course if there's a nest of vamps then you'd better run, unless of course I'm with you," Connor said and winked at Dawn. Dawn blushed and said, "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." Connor eyed her and smiled. "Confident and beautiful. I like that," Connor flirted. "Do you have any place we can go to practice?" Connor asked abruptly. "Yeah, the basement. That's where Buffy trains too," Dawn replied. "Well, why don't we start training? I need to leave by 10," Connor said. Dawn looked disappointed that they couldn't talk any longer and would have to go through with the rigorous training. 'This is going to be a boring evening,' she thought glumly. Boy, was she wrong, very wrong indeed.

Things were awkward at first. Connor decided that she should firstly learn hand-to-hand combat. He started with the basics. He taught her how to fend off attacks by blocking them with her arm. "The blows are probably going to be quite hard so your arms will sustain some measure of bruising. That's why it's important to add strength to your hands. This will help in the attack and defense during a fight," he lamented. Dawn was yawning internally but decided that she had better listen in case he asked her to repeat what he had just said. "The main point of your strength comes from the abdomen so it's important that you develop that area," Connor continued. Dawn noted that she had no six packs like Buffy and cursed herself, 'Now he's gonna think I'm such a weakling!' she thought.. "I'll teach you a method you can use to develop your abdomen," Connor offered. Dawn nodded and Connor nudged for her to lie flat against the floor mat. "When you attempt this exercise, you must focus on the central point. Since it's your first time, I will direct you to your central point," he said. He placed his right hand on her abdomen, covering her belly in an effort to help her find her focal point. Immediately, Dawn went into shock and her stomach muscles contracted. No guy had ever touched her before. "Relax, relax Dawn. I know it can be a little weird at first but we need to find your focus point," Connor soothed. Dawn relaxed a little but was acutely aware of the conflicting emotions building up within her. She willed herself to focus and followed the consecutive steps of the exercise.

When Connor first saw Dawn that evening, he was absolutely blown away. It helped that she was attracted to him too. His super-hearing had enabled him to hear the quickening of her heart when she saw him. He smiled to himself and gave himself a mental praise. When they were going through different forms of combat in the living room, he realized that his eyes were more on her than on the manuals. When they had started training, he noticed that she lacked stamina and strength but she had definite potential. He could train her within months. He knew he needed her to open the core of her internal strength, an exercise he had learnt in Quor-toth. Growing up in a hell dimension, he had learnt that his fury could be quelled by focusing on his inner strength. He wanted Dawn to learn this exercise to help her remain calm during battle. He placed his hand over her belly so as to help find her centermost point. He was surprised at Dawn's reaction. Her abdomen had immediately tightened and she gasped. He concluded that Dawn probably had very little experience with guys. He tried to calm her down by encouraging her to relax. After that, he was very careful not to touch her unless it was necessary. She probably wasn't used to another person handling her in that way. He showed her a few more ways she could use to dodge an attack. He wanted to concentrate on defense first and start with attack later. He called it quits after he showed her how to dart away while elbowing her attacker when it came from behind. He could tell that she was exhausted and commented, "It's the first time you are exposed to such strenuous exercise, I believe." When she nodded, he continued, "Well, don't worry Dawn, it gets better," and he gave her a flirtatious wink. Dawn smiled back and said, "I'll fix some dinner before you leave." Connor shook his head. "It's okay. I'm supposed to have dinner with Da… with Angel," he explained. Dawn noted his slip-up but left it at that. She nodded and asked, 'When's the next training session?" Connor stared at her as if she had gone mad before replying, "My dear Dawn, trainings will be everyday from today! We have to build up your stamina and strength and that can't be done once in a week." Dawn blushed and nodded. "Well then, I better get going," Connor said, not wanting to leave. Dawn walked towards the door and Connor followed behind reluctantly. Before he stepped out of the door, he turned to Dawn and said, "I'm sorry, Dawn for not realizing what touching you must have meant. I swear if I had known, I wouldn't have…." Before he could continue, Dawn interrupted, "It's okay. I was just a little shocked. I wasn't offended or anything. You can touch me whenever you want." Connor raised an eyebrow at that and Dawn corrected herself. "I mean when it's necessary," she blushed. Connor gave her his brightest smiles and left. Dawn leaned against the closed door and smiled to herself. "What's that big, goofy smile for?" Willow questioned as she descended the stairs. Looking up, Dawn replied, "Nothing. Just thinking how life would be like if I had known Connor earlier in Sunnydale." Willow looked at her questioningly. "You're not falling for him, are you?" she questioned. "I think Willow that's not possible because I am already in love with him!" Dawn exclaimed. Willow opened her eyes wide at Dawn's revelation and gave her a toothy grin. "Do you think he reciprocates?" she asked. "I don't know. He flirts with me but I don't know if he's likes me," Dawn answered. "I'm sure he does. It's in the genes. Angel couldn't resist Buffy Summers so obviously his son wouldn't be able to resist Dawn Summers!" Willow assured. "Oh and Willow, please don't tell Buffy about this. She'd freak out!" Dawn pleaded. "She would, wouldn't she?" Willow said rhetorically. "Well, your secret's safe with me, Dawnie," Willow assured.

"Okay, I believe that I deserve an explanation," Leo said, pointing at Piper's bulging belly. "Well, isn't it obvious? I'm pregnant!" Piper retorted. "I can see that, Piper… But how…" Leo asked. "I think you are old enough to know how it happened," Piper said sarcastically. "Piper, I know we've had our differences these past few months, but don't you think that you should have at least told me that you're pregnant?" Leo scolded. "You're not my nanny!" Piper insisted. "I'm your husband! And right now, I'm the father of your child!" Leo exclaimed. Piper grew silent and turned back to cooking the afternoon meal. "I wanted to, you know. I deluded myself into thinking that it was for the best but I badly wanted to tell you. I guess I was afraid that I would not be able to stand another rejection," Piper said quietly. Leo held her by the shoulders and turned her around to face him. "You know Piper, I still love you. I always have. There was not a day when I was up there that I did not think of you or Wyatt. Nothing can ever stop me from loving you, Piper. Not even the Elders," Leo confessed. Piper sniffed and Leo was surprised to see tears in her eyes. Piper looked embarrassed and wiped them away saying. "It's the hormones. They are going into overdrive." With that, Leo pulled her closer until he enveloped her in a bear hug. "Hey Piper, what's…." Chris said as he entered the kitchen. He saw the two of them and trailed off, his words completely forgotten. Piper jumped back consciously from Leo's arms. "I came at the wrong time. I'm sorry," Chris apologized. Before Piper could stop him, he orbed out. "You guys still keeping him around?" Leo asked. "I mean after what happened before doesn't affect the three of you anymore?" Leo questioned. Piper looked annoyed and she replied, "Chris is not just some random toy that we use and discard, Leo. He came from the future to save Wyatt, our son!" she defended. "Since when did you start defending Chris?" Leo asked suspiciously. Piper sighed. "I think that there's something you should know about Chris. I just don't know how to say it," Piper said. "He didn't father your child, did he!" Leo asked stupidly. Piper gave him a look that made him wish he could die a second time again. "I mean he didn't miss the father of your child, did he," Leo asked sheepishly. Piper studied Leo as if she was looking at a child and said, "Leo, what I'm going to tell you might come as a shock to you so I want you to listen to me very carefully." Leo understood her serious tone and nodded. "Chris is…. Well, Chris… is your son. He came from the future to stop Wyatt from turning evil," Piper said in one breath. She tried to gauge Leo's reaction but he remained stoic. "You're joking, right?" he finally said. Piper crossed her arms in anger and said, "He's your son, Leo, our son! The child I'm carrying is Chris!" Her expression was so serious that Leo knew she was not joking. "I… I… don't know what to say." Leo finally said. "All this time, the way I treated him… He must hate me… Does he? Does he, Piper?" Leo asked warily. "I don't know, but I do know this, Leo. Chris is your son. It would only be your goodness which fills his heart," Piper said encouragingly. Leo sighed and sat down. "How am I ever… going to face him?" Leo said and looked up at Piper. "I left you, Wyatt and him. He's not even born yet and I left him!" Leo said, enraged. "It's not your fault, Leo. He knows that," Piper comforted. "I can only hope so, Piper. I can only hope so," Leo said dejectedly.

It was difficult to look at her and yet it was excruciating not to. He hadn't seen her since Joyce died and everything was different now. He worked for Wolfram & Hart and she lost all her potentials. Angel sighed. Wesley was babbling about how this was all pre-destined. He had heard that many a time before. It was pre-destined that he got a soul. It was pre-destined that two vampires could have a baby. It was pre-destined that Jasmine would wreak havoc in the world and take his son away from him. Destiny sucks, he concluded. He might just as well grab a stake and put it through his heart and end Destiny right here, right now. Angel scolded himself for having such thoughts. 'I'm a Champion first, all other things are second', he thought. But looking at Connor, Angel knew that was untrue. 'I'm a father first', he realized. Connor looked up and met his stare. Connor smiled, breaking the tension that was between them for the past few months. Angel smiled back and returned his attention to Wesley's chart. 'I'll do it for Connor… and Buffy and for all the other people on this Earth. I'll take on the apocalypse!' he thought with confidence. 'If only she was here,' he thought. 'If only Cordy was still here…' he thought, with regret in his heart. He was about to say something when a vision flashed in front of him. Angel stood ramrod still as the vision passed. "Woman attacked, gotta go now!" he said suddenly, interrupting Wesley. "Wait, how do you know…" Buffy started but Angel cut her off. "I just do. Let's go," he said as he grabbed weapons. Connor was right beside him. Buffy followed after, wanting a piece of the action. "Well now, ain't that sweet… One big happy family…" Spike said sarcastically. He rolled his eyes and grabbed an axe.

_I must be the biggest idiot in the world, well either that or the busiest. Third year sucks. Hi CharmedMilliE, what's up? Anyway, about that projects thing. I live in Singapore so no Summer holidays for us. Just an annual monthly break which occurs in December. Gosh, it has been a year since I last updated and what infuriates me is that I had already completed chapter 4 last year! My exams end next week and after that I will have all the time in the world to write more, I hope. :D So anyway, I hope that I will still be able to remember the original story that I had planned. Anyway, enjoy. :) Oh yeah, I was kinda thinking about making it a spuffy pairing originally but now I don't know anymore. Well, let's just see where my inspiration (if I have any left) leads me. _


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I never did this for the other chapters but well, here goes. I don't own Charmed, Angel, or Buffy!

**Chapter 5**

Angel filled them in on the way to the scene. He explained that ever since Cordelia died, her visions passed on to him and that's how he had been getting his information. He further said that he just saw a group of demons circling around three women, who looked dazed.

"Maybe the women are under some sort of spell?" Buffy ventured. Angel nodded and said, "Maybe, but I don't know. I also saw…" and he hesitated. "What, Angel? What did you see?" Buffy prodded.

"I saw claw marks all over their bodies, like it has some kind of ritualistic meaning," he added.

They approached the scene stealthily. It was just Angel, Buffy, Spike and Connor who had come to save the women. The rest were needed to work on the coming apocalypse. They heard a twig snap in front of them and Connor whispered harshly, "Who's there!"

They saw Phoebe and Paige in front of them, crouching, as they hid behind a bush. "Shhhhh!" Paige shushed. "We can take them," Spike said. "It's not like we've never done this before," he continued. Suddenly, his eyes glazed over.

"Hey Angel, doesn't this look familiar?" he asked. Angel looked at Spike and back at the scene. "Oh boy…" Angel said suddenly. "What! What!" Phoebe hissed. "Things are about to get messy, that's what!" Spike explained. But before he could launch into a detailed explanation, the chanting stopped suddenly and all they heard was silence. The demons stood frozen as the women started to scream.

Without warning, three huge alien beings burst forth from their bodies, with high-pitched cries. "Gross!" Paige said, disgust evident on her face. "We've got to kill them now. Once they grow, it'll be quite difficult to get rid of them," Angel said.

"You mean, they're babies!" Phoebe asked, incredulous. Angel nodded. "They're the biggest and most disgusting babies I have ever seen… even for a demon," she said. Paige looked at Spike's axe and immediately called for it, "Axe!" and directed it towards one of the babies.

"Hey! That was mine!" Spike complained. The fighting ensued. An unspoken agreement descended upon them. Angel, Connor and Buffy fought the babies while Phoebe, Paige and Spike fought the demons.

They came back to the manor, all bloodied and drenched in green goo. "I hate demon blood. I hate demon blood," was all Phoebe had been chanting ever since she got home. She and Paige were cleaned up and they passed out towels to their 'guests'.

"So… how was it?" Piper asked. "Without me?" she added. "It was fine! Though we could have used some of that blowing-up power of yours that I keep hearing about," Connor replied.

Piper grinned. "Good boy! Aww, you're such a sweet boy," she said, delight apparent in her voice. Connor turned red and he backed away from potential smothering. "Well, it appears as if Blondie here," Paige nudged her head towards Spike, "and his gang knew about the Fosal demons as well," she said. Angel sulked at being classified under Spike's gang and Spike balked at the mention of 'Blondie'.

Buffy found it amusing that Spike was still bothered about what people thought about the colour of his hair. She was comfortable enough being quiet and letting others do the talking. She had always been the leader and it was time she relinquished the role to someone else… for now. "Fosal demons?" she inquired.

It was Angel who spoke this time. "Fosal demons, or nannies as we used to call them," he said. "Nannies?" Connor asked, obviously amused. "They have only one purpose, that is to impregnate human women with their master's spawn and care for the babies once they burst out from the women," Angel explained.

"Yea, that was kind of gross," Paige added. With that, Buffy and the rest decided to leave. "I suggest we convene regular meetings here, so that we can decide what to do and gather all our work together," Piper said. The rest agreed and they left quickly.

"So!" Phoebe shouted. "Blondie huh," she said. "Well yea, he is kind of cute. I never did know you were partial to blondes, Paige," Phoebe teased.

"What! I just… I just…" Paige sputtered.

"It's okay, Paige. We understand," Piper winked. With that, the two sisters left the living room, leaving a very embarrassed Paige behind.

_A/N: It's quite short, but I was reading up the previous chapters and decided to complete this one. Yes, I know Charmed has moved forward and Chris is gone! (nooooooooooo!) but fan fiction rules so I can do anything I want! Muahahahahahahaha! Ahemm.. _

_Hey lesphinx, yes I'm Singaporean. I'm 21 this year and just graduated from Poly. How about yourself? So just keep the reviews coming and I'll update with vigor:D :D Bye! And oh, Enjoy!_


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